Michelle Micalizzi, Artist
(All Rights Reserved)
10% of the proceeds from the sale of this work benefits PT Day of Service.
This is the second of two blogs and paintings, focusing on WebPT’s core value: Create Raving Fans.
See the First blog – Time Heals.
SERVICE: CREATE RAVING FANS
We all have different roles to fill, but we are united behind a singular mission; empowering our members to achieve greatness in therapy practice.
Sometimes when you meet a person for the first time you can feel their heart. Have you ever had this experience? Efosa was one of those people from the first time we communicated on the phone about this project for me. I could feel how huge his heart was and that it was full of benevolence. I also picked up on that fact that he was smart and driven to be of service by something far bigger than a pay check. Efosa has a heart for service in its purest form and the ability to execute dynamic projects. These skill sets and qualities, when combined, are a gift to all those who have the chance to be touched by them. You can also tell that Efosa is not a small thinker. He is a boots on the ground world traveler who immediately puts actions to his words seemingly even before those words are completely out of his mouth. His faith and his calling to be of service are what propel him to the next level. These are the qualities that enable a true gentleman to grow quickly in his endeavors.
Coincidently, I have spoken to many physical therapists since I met Efosa and learned about his organization. I always ask them if they know about the PT Day of Service. The response is always the same. First their eyes get wide and bright and then a big smile comes across their face and they enthusiastically respond, YES, and tell me their very personal experience with the organization. This is what creating Raving Fans is all about. The first action is impressing them with what you stand for and then getting them to have their own very powerful experience. To date, Efosa has created 8,000 fans in 42 countries and all 50 states. That is saying something!
FEARLESS INTERVIEW
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM EFOSA ABOUT BEING FEARLESS?
1. When You Just Have to Do It
Efosa shared with me how his PT Day of Service concept was brought to fruition and his experience resonated with me. He shared his idea with his best friend and they both instantly knew that they had to execute it. There was no way they could look the other way once the idea was out there in the light. I had a very similar conversation with my best friend. When I called her, and told her about the fearless projects; she simply told me then, and continues to tell me with every blog she edits, to keep going and that this is the work I was built to do. We all know when we have come to that moment in our lives where something is just ours to do and we MUST do it. If you have not had that experience yet; I say keep going and keep looking for this experience. There is nothing better than doing what you know if yours and only yours to do.
2. Impact | Sustain | Transcend
When Efosa conjures up a great idea, he deeply contemplates how that idea effects people. Intuitively, he grasps how the big picture links to the daily details of each person’s heart. He clearly sees that in order to have global affect one must do service while making an impact locally. He connects the dots. Additionally, he understands that sustainability is not just about creating something that has staying power but that is also does no harm. Ultimately, when we create something that has a global impact and has staying power; transcendence is a natural byproduct. Efosa works his way in all directions to create benevolence.
3. Service Just Makes Sense
Efosa feels that we were all born to service. If we do not serve, we are not fully actualizing who we are meant to be. Service and healing one another makes sense in every way. One does not need to use a lot of words to describe this fact. It is one of those “just is” ideas.
4. Seek out Others who Have a Heart for Service
Efosa believes that seeking out other strong organizations that have a heart for service is what allows him to fulfill his mission and vision. Seeking out corporate support from like-minded companies who have a heart for service is what allows PT Day of Service to move forward with confidence knowing they will reach all of their goals.
5. Lean Into the Mountain
Efosa spoke about something that made me chuckle when he stated, “When the mountain is at its steepest lean into it. RUN up it!” I had ruptured my left Achilles tendon in 2015 running up the steepest part of the of back of Tom’s Thumb and did not know I had already torn (98% through) my right LCL. My mind set was to lean into the mountain (as Efosa stated.) My injures lead me to a PT’s office where I was served by several PTs.
Indirectly, or perhaps directly, those two tears resulted with me having leg braces for five months, which changed the course of my life and lead me directly to this project. Because I was hurt, I had to reinvent myself and then reinvent myself again. In the process of reinvention, I also discovered how I would fulfill my mission to be of service and AoFGB was born.
Some might think I would consider leaning into the mountain was a bad idea. The truth is no; I believe it was a good idea because it lead me here. Here is a pretty good place to be! My feet were divinely taken out from beneath me so I could reconnect with my heart and my art.
I have always known what was in my heart to do so when Efosa talks about the concept of not ignoring your heart but trusting that the longing that has been put in your heart is divinely inspired, I embrace that concept on a truly soulful level. We both believe that when God puts a dream in your heart and you do not ignore it, great things comes to pass. When you take action to persistently listen to the longing of your heart and your true nature; that is where the magic happens.
Fortune in deed favors the bold! Efosa and I agree that one needs to work backwards from where your heart sees yourself, create a process, and get ‘er done!
Thank you so much to Efosa for having heart for service, for sharing the passion for what you do with the world, and for taking time out for this interview!
ILLUSTRATIONS STORY
The favorite saying Fortune Favors the Bold or in latin Audentis Fortuna iuvat caught my attention.
The phrase from the Aeneid has been used in the military, and it is used up to the present in the US Army and on the coats of arms of individual families and clans. The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It comprises 9,896 lines in 12 books. (Wikipedia)
This piece is loosely inspired by the statue of the roman goddess Fortuna by artist Johannes Benk. This captivating sculpture lives on the top of Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.
She is holding an olive branch of peace over her head, a horn of plenty in her other hand and she is simultaneously playing with a ball which is the globe symbolizing Efosa’s desire to work globally and the coins that are falling out of the horn of plenty symbolizing to keep one’s ambition or drive light and friendly. In background is a theme for this series, a mountain range that symbolizes that we are all connected on a higher ground (see First blog – Higher Ground). The hands symbolize always reaching for our best. The colors of the sky are classic to an Arizona sunset uniting this thought with Arizona and WebPT.
Work was shown at the The Art of Fearlessly Giving Back I – Web PT opening on May 18, 2018 at The Arizona Science Center.
Thank you to the 2018 Fearless Partners:
11Eleven Consulting|Peg Quinn| The AZ Consortium for the Arts|Charity Charms|Bob Diercksmeier of RJD Creative
Entrepreneurs and inspiring stories of all kinds are Fearlessly Deliver’s muse and focus. As an artist, a business woman and a visual journalist Michelle Micalizzi paints with a purpose. The Fearless Art Projects are collaborative social practice art engagements that connect art + business + community.
The ART OF FEARLESSLY GIVING BACK (AoFGB) is a community awareness series that focuses on the mission of select charitable organizations and the social responsible companies and philanthropic individuals that support them.